Fire of Vengeance
by Ryuune Seichi
Summary: Even with the power of sight, Jayfeather's life is not made any easier. With a murderous brother, and a secret that threatens to tear him apart. Complete. Sequel to Ash Colored Snow and Burnt Feathers.
1. Grief

Warriors: Fire of Vengeance

Well, I decided to continue my line of CinderXJay fics, and this will be the third installment. To fully understand what is happening, you should read the other two. Okay, time to begin where the last left off.

Chapter 1: Grief

Jayfeather dragged Cinderpelt's broken body back into the camp, as the snow began to let up. Firestar and Leafpool were shocked when they saw her, and the female Medicine Cat vainly tried to find a way to save the young she-cat. Jayfeather knew it was already too late, and only sat for the vigil wordlessly. When no one else was around or too busy giving Cinderpelt their last words, Lionblaze hissed into his brother's ear. "Don't even think about telling anyone what happened, they're convinced it was a fox attack, and it better stay that way." Jayfeather payed no attention, and closed his eyes, wishing for sleep to come.

However, he found that his mind couldn't leave the conscious world while he was weighed down with so much sorrow, and he simply lay there, drowning in his memories of the past.

The moon was high in the sky before Jayfeather finally managed to fall asleep, and he found himself at the edge of the lake, the starlight radiating brilliantly upon it. "Cinderheart?" He asked tentatively, glancing to his sides until something tackled him from behind. The Medicine Cat was about to fight back, until a sweet and familiar scent came to him.

"Hey Jayfeather." Cinderheart said, jumping off of him.

"Cinderheart? Or are you Cinderpelt?" Jayfeather asked confusedly.

"Call me Cinderheart while I see you…since you'll probably be the only one that does. I wish StarClan would understand that I'm not Cinderpelt anymore, not after becoming a Warrior." She pressed her body against his, and he lost himself in the warmth for a moment until Cinderheart mewed, "however, if Lionblaze continues like he's doing…" The StarClan Warrior trailed off, and Jayfeather understood.

"But what could I do? I'm pretty sure Lionblaze will keep his word if I tell Firestar or Brambleclaw about what he's done." Jayfeather reasoned, and Cinderheart licked his ear to comfort him.

"I know, but you do have two abilities he doesn't know about. The power to walk in dreams, and the fact that you can now see in the waking world, but you can't take on Lionblaze head on, because of his own powers." Cinderheart explained, and Jayfeather's eyes widened.

"What? I thought the powers were just a coincidence? You mean that prophecy is still about us even though we're not Firestar's kin?" He asked, and the she-cat sighed.

"Well…you are…but StarClan's forbidden me from saying anything else…" Jayfeather nodded and licked her cheek.

"It's alright, I know how they like to keep secrets, besides, it's probably best if we find out on our own." Cinderheart started to fade, and Jayfeather rose to his paws and meowed alarmingly, "wait, don't go yet!"

"Sorry, you're waking up, I'll see you tonight," the she-cat mewed hastily, and Jayfeather felt a nudging in his side. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring into Firestar's dull green eyes.

"It's time for the elders to bury her…" He said softly, and Jayfeather padded back into the Medicine Cat's Den.

"Leafpool?" The senior Medicine Cat emerged from behind the ferns, and motioned with her tail for Jayfeather to come closer. "Am I still a Medicine Cat?" He asked, and Leafpool paused for a moment before responding.

"It would take too long to train another Apprentice…but that's not what I want to talk to you about." Jayfeather tilted his head in confusion, and then gasped in surprise when she finished, "I…I'm your mother Jayfeather."

He found out sooner than anyone out there expected I bet. Well, next is Jayfeather's reaction, and the beginnings of a plan to take down his brother Lionblaze. Till then!


	2. Mother

Warriors: Fire of Vengeance

Chapter 2: Mother

"What?" Jayfeather gasped, his eyes as wide as moons in shock. Leafpool didn't say anything as Jayfeather shouted, "then who's my father?!" After an awkward silence, the grey cat took a deep breath to work down the fury that was ready to spill over. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"It's because…I heard from Squirrelflight that you found out she wasn't your true mother, but it would have remained a secret if it weren't for the recent events. There is something I need to tell you," she began, and Jayfeather sat down on his haunches as she explained, "I'm sure you heard stories about the cats of the prophecy that went on a journey to mountains correct?" The tom nodded. "Well, the WindClan cat was Crowfeather as I'm sure you know, and during that journey, he had fallen in love with Graystripe's daughter, Feathertail. However, she sacrificed herself to take down the lion, and Crowfeather fell into despair. Then, during a battle, I nearly fell of the cliff, and surely would have died. He was the only one nearby, and he was muttering about how he couldn't love another cat and betray Feathertail."

Leafpool paused for a heartbeat, "in the end, he saved my life, and we started seeing each other. We left the clans before they came under attack from the badgers, but not before I became…pregnant…with you three…" Leafpool sank, and her voice started to tremble uncontrollably as she finished. "I blame myself for Cinderpelt's death that night, and felt I had betrayed her by breaking one of the most sacred rules of a Medicine Cat. I didn't want to see that happen to you and Cinderheart…"

"That's why…it explains so much…" Jayfeather mumbled, and got up onto his paws, "thank you L-mother. I'm sorry for snapping at you before I left." He stalked into his den, and closed his eyes. His mind was too restless to allow him sleep, so he decided to try and work out the best way to take down Lionblaze. Nothing came to him, even being able to see could only do so much, he couldn't possibly hope to defeat him in battle, he'd be ripped to shreds, probably worse. "If I tell Firestar…or anyone else, he'll kill me…grr, why is this so hard?!" The Medicine Cat shouted in his mind, but then shook his head, "shouting to no one in particular won't help me, I have to think…"

He couldn't even come up with a shred of something that resembled a plan before the sun rose, and he cursed himself for not being able to sleep. The day went on as any other day would, but Jayfeather found it disorienting to be gathering herbs and being able to not only scent them, but see them. "It looks so much different than I thought it would," was the thought that crossed his mind on more than one occasion. By sunset, he was eating beside his former mentor, when she mewed something that nearly made him choke.

"Do you think I should tell your brother and sister about what we talked about last night?"

Jayfeather managed to get the blackbird down, and responded, "no, Lionblaze couldn't take it, and would probably go into an uncontrollable rage. Hollyleaf might be able to though."

"Even so…I think they both should know." His mother reasoned, and Jayfeather shook his head.

"That's not a good idea, but if you really think you should, I'll protect you in case he attacks."

Leafpool nodded, and made her way to where the two siblings were eating. "I didn't mean now!" Jayfeather thought, chasing after the she-cat.

When all of them were gathered in the Medicine Cat Den, Lionblaze growled at her, "what do you want? We're not hurt or sick."

Leafpool looked at Jayfeather, and he gave a small nod. "I wanted to tell you both something…" She broke off, irritating the golden Warrior further.

"Well, what is it?!" His claws were digging into the ground, and Jayfeather could feel the anger seeping off of him. There was also bloodlust directed at him, probably because he thought that Jayfeather went to his mentor and told her what happened.

"I…I'm your…"

"OUR?!"

"Mother…" Leafpool choked out, and Lionblaze's eyes widened as much as Jayfeather's did.

"I had a feeling," Hollyleaf mewed softly, and looked to her. "Thank you for finally confirming that, Crowfeather is our father isn't he?"

Jayfeather was impressed that she found that out, even he couldn't guess.

"WE'RE HALF-BREEDS?!" Lionblaze found his voice again, and by shrieking like that, started to draw a crowd to the Medicine Cat Den.

Leafpool was speechless, and Jayfeather stepped in front to defend her, "quiet, or do you want everyone to know her secret?!" He hissed, and not to his surprise, it didn't appease Lionblaze's anger.

"I'll kill you, ALL OF YOU!!!" Lionblaze yowled, and leapt at Jayfeather, "your blindness ended up being your death didn't it?"

"Good, he hasn't found out I'm not blind, I can use that to my advantage," Jayfeather thought, and let himself be bowled over until he was on the bottom. He scrabbled as hard as he could at his brother's belly, but it wasn't working, Jayfeather expected that much.

"Goodbye, brother, then I'll finish off Leafpool, and I guess Hollyleaf too, because she's about to witness this." Lionblaze growled coldly into his brother's ear, and was attacked from behind by Leafpool.

"Stop, you might kill him!" She dug her claws into his back and bit into the scruff of his neck.

"I was going to save you for later, but I guess not!" Lionblaze shouted and flipped her over with ease, wrapping his jaws around her neck.

"Not again!" Jayfeather took a swipe at his brother's left eye, and grazed it, causing Lionblaze to start yowling in pain. "Hollyleaf, help me restrain him!" His sister nodded, and together along with Leafpool they took down the golden Warrior.

"What is going on in here?!" Firestar asked as he padded in to see Lionblaze scrabbling madly, trying to snap his jaws into his sister's leg. "Someone explain, now!"

Leafpool opened her mouth to speak, but Jayfeather cut across her, "Lionblaze killed Cinderheart, and he was about to kill us all too."

"This sounds too familiar," Firestar muttered darkly, and instructed them to bring Lionblaze to the clearing. As soon as they got up, he tried to break away, but was stopped by Firestar. With him held down again, the leader shouted outside, "Dustpelt, Cloudtail, get in here and help Jayfeather, Leafpool, and Hollyleaf with Lionblaze!"

Next is judgement, and I seriously didn't think it would progress so far so fast, but it's as my fingers type, so that's what happened. Next is his judgement, wait, I already said that didn't I?


	3. Judgment

Warriors: Fire of Vengeance

Chapter 3: Judgement

Lionblaze glared at his clanmates as they stared shocked while Dustpelt and Cloudtail dragged him in front of the Highledge. Firestar was already perched in his spot, looking down at the Warrior. A distant look overtook the leader's green eyes, as if he was remembering something from his past. Even though he was far below, Jayfeather could feel some emotion sparking like lightning from his pelt. What was it? Anxiety? Hatred? Fear? Whatever it was, it made Jayfeather feel uneasy.

"Lionblaze, you just tried to kill your brother, your sister, and then Leafpool...I can't easily overlook something as severe as that, but I may be willing to work with you. What was it that-" Lionblaze cut him off with a low, menacing growl.

"I don't need your pity Firestar. Maybe you'd like to know that I also killed that traitor Ashfur, and the one who was confusing my brother, Cinderheart." He announced coldly, and gasps of shock and surprise were heard from everywhere around Jayfeather.

"I didn't want to do this..." Firestar whispered, no one was supposed to hear that, Jayfeather thought, but his hearing was sharper than others'. "Lionblaze, you are exiled from ThunderClan, if you are seen on the territory after sunrise tomorrow, my Warriors have permission to drive you out, or possibly kill you."

"I'd like to see them try," Lionblaze scoffed, and threw off Dustpelt and Cloudtail, biting into the white Warrior's ear.

Firestar started scrambling down the Highledge, but Jayfeather knew he wouldn't make it in time. The Medicine Cat launched himself at his murderous brother, digging his teeth into the scruff of the golden Warrior's neck. Lionblaze reacted quickly, tearing off the tip of Cloudtail's ear, and rolling over so that his brother was belly up and out of breath. Quick as a snake, he struck, thrusting his claws into Jayfeather's chest, and the grey cat's vision blurred.

"Lionblaze, stop!" Hollyleaf yowled, but it was no use, her brother was intent on finishing Jayfeather.

"This is it? I die to the paws of my own brother?" Jayfeather couldn't help thinking, until he heard a voice in the back of his mind.

"Don't just give up Jayfeather!" Cinderheart's voice rang loud and clear, and the Medicine Cat heaved, throwing Lionblaze off of him.

The Warrior's eyes were alight with blind raging fury, and he leapt for Jayfeather again. Before contact could be made, Firestar plowed into his side, but he didn't lose his balance, and instead skidded and clamped his jaws around the leader's neck. Squirrelflight, who hadn't been herself since the incident with Ashfur, but she snapped out of it long enough to attempt to save her father. Along with Leafpool, they both dragged Lionblaze off, and Jayfeather landed square on his back.

Hissing and snarling, he struggled from his captors, until finally, he was subdued again. "I'll destroy you all, every single one of the leaders, and become supreme ruler of all the clans!" He yowled, and he saw a dark shadow looming over Lionblaze that nearly caused him to step back. The golden Warrior's voice deepened, "especially you Firestar, I will exact my absolute revenge."

"Firestar? I thought his quarrel was with me..." Jayfeather thought, and in his mind's eye, he saw Cinderheart standing in front of him.

"His mind is no longer his own...he is under the influence of Tigerstar." She mewed, confusing Jayfeather.

"What do you mean? He's being possessed by a dead cat? Is that even possible?" The Medicine Cat asked, his eyes bewildered, and Cinderheart paused before giving her response.

"StarClan didn't think it was possible, but it has happened, and dark times lie ahead for the Clans around the lake. He will attempt to-" She was cut off, fading away quickly.

"What?! He'll attempt to what?!" Jayfeather screamed wildly, clawing at his mate's disappearing form.

"I-I can't say anymore, StarClan won't let me, but just beware, Jayfeather!" With that, she was gone, and Jayfeather was thrown back into the harsh reality. His brother was leaving through the entrance, and his paws took him numbly back into his nest.

"I need time to think..." the Medicine Cat thought miserably, and flopped straight down into his nest.

"Jayfeather?" Hollyleaf's tentative mew came from the entrance, and when her brother didn't respond, she padded in. "Is it really true? Did Lionblaze-" her voice broke, turning to a shrill mew. The gray Medicine Cat looked up at her, and saw that her eyes were glazed over with pain.

"Yes…he killed Ashfur…and…Cinderheart," he finally managed to choke out, and turned away from his sister. "Can you give me some time alone?"

"Okay…sure…" she mewed weakly, and trudged back to the Warrior's Den, with paws as heavy as stone.

It wasn't long before Leafpool arrived, with a clump of herbs in her mouth. After a quick breath, Jayfeather identified it as Chervil. "Leafpool…no, mother…can I ask you something?"

Leafpool sighed and set the herbs down, Jayfeather didn't need to be able to sense emotions to tell that she was just trying to busy herself to forget about what had just happened. "What is it?" She finally responded after a long silence.

"What do you know about Tigerstar?"

The question confused the she-cat, and she tilted her head in confusion, "only some of the stories my father told me when I was a kit…why do you ask?"

"Just curious…" Jayfeather answered, but in his mind, he added, "it might give me a clue what Lionblaze will do next."

"I'm not the right cat to ask…why not visit the Highledge again?" Leafpool meowed softly, organizing the herbs. "You shouldn't have another accident like last time…you can see now right?"

Jayfeather couldn't suppress the gasp of surprise, "how-?"

"I could tell when you slashed Lionblaze across the eye…it requires either vision or luck to hit that spot accurately…and you aren't exactly the luckiest cat alive," Leafpool attempted to make a joke with that last phrase, but her heart was too weighed down with sorrow to make it sound sincere.

"Right…please don't tell anyone," Leafpool nodded, and Jayfeather made his way back to the Highledge.

"I wonder what exactly happened all those seasons ago…"


	4. Reminisce

Warriors: Fire of Vengeance

Okay, first off, hi everyone! Yeah, good start there Seichi, but uhh…for one thing, it's been far too long since I've updated this. But I notice how almost it seems once a month that I get someone asking if I'm going to continue or come back. And with work before, it was impossible…but I hope to change that. I quit and am in college now, and, oddly, that gives me more time to write! So, let's get this ball rolling. Also, I wrote this and the next chapter, and also some of the sixth, years ago, and just never updated them. Sorry~. Okay, go!

Chapter 4: Reminisce

"What made Tigerstar so evil?" Jayfeather wondered, climbing the rock face underneath the Highledge, "nobody ever explained it very well…not even Brambleclaw." He stood just outside the Leader's Den, licking his chest fur anxiously, "maybe I don't want to find out…"

"You can come in if you wish," Firestar called from inside, and Jayfeather made up his mind, padding in with determination. The ginger furred leader was sitting on his haunches, with his forepaws tucked neatly under him. The white streaks on his muzzle added an air of wisdom, that made Jayfeather even more nervous. "I had a feeling it would be either you or your sister…tell me, what's wrong with Lionblaze?"

The Medicine Cat stared hard into Firestar's green eyes, but couldn't find an answer, and only shrugged. "Firestar…" he began uncertainly, "what can you tell me about Tigerstar?"

The leader's eyes widened briefly, and he shook himself slightly. Jayfeather could pick up mingled feelings of apprehension and…fear? "What could Firestar be afraid of?"

"Tiger_claw_ was a great Warrior…when I arrived in the old forest, he had just come back from an attack on the Sunningrocks." Firestar gazed out past Jayfeather distantly, recalling the past. Jayfeather sat patiently as Firestar continued. "He told us that Redtail had been killed in the battle, but another Apprentice, Ravenpaw, knew the truth. Tigerclaw had killed Redtail, the former deputy, in hopes of being chosen himself. However, Bluestar, our leader at the time, she chose another Warrior, and also my mentor, Lionheart."

"At the time, ShadowClan's leader was Brokenstar, and he was merciless in his rule. I'm sure you've heard the story about how Graystripe and I brought WindClan back into the forest?" Firestar asked Jayfeather, and the Medicine Cat nodded. "It was because Brokenstar drove them out for their territory. After that, he went for Thunderclan next, and in the battle, Lionheart was killed. Tigerclaw was finally named deputy, but it wasn't enough for him…anyway, with the help of some of ShadowClan's elders, we were able to bring down Brokenstar, and there seemed to be peace. However, shortly after that, I started digging into dark secrets, but I don't regret it, because what I learned ended up saving Bluestar's life."

"Brokenstar came to the camp, blinded, and was held there as a prisoner. I noticed Tigerclaw, who had been so hostile at the time we made the decision, speaking with him. I naively thought that Tigerclaw was showing something I thought he wasn't capable of…sympathy. However, I was wrong, they were secretly planning an attack from within, and in the middle of the battle, I realized that Tigerclaw slipped into Bluestar's den. I heard them arguing inside, and then when I thought I heard Tigerclaw attack, I rushed in and stopped him."

"At the time, RiverClan sent a patrol, which helped us win that battle, but their true motives were to discuss Graystripe's kits. After the battle, I revealed Tigerclaw for what he was, and he was exiled. That only further sparked his ambitions. Fueled with vengeance, he killed a few of our Warriors, and brought the terror of BloodClan upon us. Their leader, a small but deadly cat named Scourge, split Tigerstar, who had taken over ShadowClan and RiverClan, renaming them TigerClan, almost literally in half. He lost every single one of his nine lives, and then Scourge told us to be ready to leave or fight. I gathered the four clans together, and was able to defeat Scourge." Firestar sighed, and layed down, as if the telling of the story wore him out. "Why did you want to know Jayfeather?"

"Well…I was just curious if it had anything to do with why Lionblaze was acting the way he is." Jayfeather improvised, hoping that the leader didn't know the truth about the three's true heritage. To his relief, the ginger cat didn't seem to know anything.

"What happened in the past can't possibly have…anything to do with what's happening now." Jayfeather wondered what the pause was for, but he shrugged it off. "You should go back and get some sleep, it's been a long day for both of us."

"You don't know the half of it," Jayfeather thought, then meowed aloud, "you're right, thank you Firestar." The Medicine Cat padded back out carefully, noting that sunset had just passed, he slithered back down the rock face, and made his way back to the Medicine Cat's Den. "I didn't need that story to tell me that Lionblaze, or rather Tigerstar, will seek vengeance against ThunderClan." The gray cat layed down, "but I think I know how he's going to do it now…he's going to take over ShadowClan again."

Is this truly Lionblaze/Tigerstar's plan? Find out next time on the Fire of Vengeance, _Into the Shadows_! And again, thank you for all your continued support!


	5. Into the Shadows

Warriors: Fire of Vengeance

Chapter 5: Into the Shadows

Jayfeather was standing among trees, looking around uncertainly, "this isn't the lake…am I in the old forest again?" He wondered aloud, "Cinderheart, are you here?" A gray shape flitted past the edge of his vision, but disappeared behind a tree. He padded over to the tree, ready to surprise his mate, when she jumped down from the tree and onto his back. The Warrior's claws were sheathed, but that didn't stop her from taking down the startled Medicine Cat.

They wrestled playfully on the leaves for a few moments, before breaking away and smoothing their ruffled fur. "That's my win," Cinderheart mewed teasingly.

"Yeah yeah…so how've you been?" Jayfeather asked, and the she-cat shrugged.

"I can't really complain, there's a lot of prey in StarClan, and plenty of company. It's nice to see Yellowfang after so long," Cinderheart sighed, and Jayfeather padded over and licked her cheek. "You seem to have managed to figure out Lionblaze's intentions. But be careful, I've come to deliver a warning."

"Which you're going to give me in the form of a prophecy right?"

The Warrior nodded, "it's a sort of rule in StarClan." She breathed in, and then chanted.

_The light will conquer the darkness._

_Tame the water._

_And reach its claws across the lake._

_The bird and the leaf must band together._

_To de-claw the lion._

Cinderheart faded slowly after that, and Jayfeather awoke. "At least this one is slightly obvious," he thought, not relieving his stress. "The 'light' must be Lion_blaze_, and it says he'll take over ShadowClan. Tame the water…RiverClan, it's the closest, and Tigerclaw took them both over before. Reach its claws across the lake…umm…across the lake…" Jayfeather couldn't figure this out, "it would probably help to look out onto it to figure it out. Bird and the leaf, bird is obviously me, _Jay_feather…and 'leaf' must be Hollyleaf. So the only ones who can stop Lionblaze are me and my sister…great." He shook himself and noticed that Leafpool was still asleep.

"Leafpool? No, that can't be right, because she's a Medicine Cat, but then…so am I." The tom stepped outside, feeling the bitter cold wind raking his fur, "I'll think about that later. I need to see what that third part of the prophecy means."

It only took a few minutes to reach the lake, and Jayfeather observed idly that it was much easier to make the trek now that he could see. He gazed out across the lake, and spotted where RiverClan was. "Okay, so if I take it literally, directly across from RiverClan is…" the Medicine Cat thought, tracing his eyes across the lake and found himself looking directly behind himself at the end. "Of course…"

Hollyleaf padded out next to her brother, staring at him confusedly before mewing, "what are you doing here Jayfeather?"

"I just wanted somewhere quiet to think," he responded in a half-truth, not making eye contact, just staring out at the lake. "What about you?"

She shrugged, "the same I guess. I just want to know what's causing Lionblaze to act like this." The Medicine Cat sighed, and was thinking about telling his sister about the events leading up until now, before closing his jaw quickly.

"I can't tell her now, not when there are so many uncertainties," he thought. "Yeah, me too…" the gray cat meowed, giving his sister a comforting lick on the head, "but we might need to be the ones to take him down."

Hollyleaf looked up, confused, "what do you mean?"

"It's nothing," Jayfeather responded, shaking his head, "I'm going to head back."

"I'll stay out here a bit longer," Hollyleaf mewed, and Jayfeather nodded, padding back to the camp.

"If he takes over both ShadowClan and RiverClan…how can I possibly stop him?" The answer didn't come to him, but before Jayfeather entered the camp, a thought struck him. "Maybe I should stop him before he takes over anything." Making sure no one spotted him, he started in the direction of ShadowClan territory.

When he reached the border, the smell of fresh blood flooded the Medicine Cat's senses, "that's not a good sign." There was a pool of drying blood staining the leaves, "Lionblaze must have come here and a border patrol attacked him…" Jayfeather breathed in the scent of the red liquid more carefully, "and this isn't his blood. He probably demanded to be taken to their camp, I have to stop him."

Building his resolve, the gray cat stepped over the border, following a light trail of blood, "whatever cat lost, was probably dragged back to camp." It didn't take long to find the camp, and Jayfeather snuck in through the entrance.

ShadowClan was having a meeting, no, not a meeting, Blackstar was fighting with Lionblaze, and it seemed that his brother was winning. There was also a Warrior sitting on the outside of the circle, a large gash in his side, and there was also a she-cat there, burying her nose into the cat's fur. It didn't take long for Jayfeather to realize that the Warrior was dead, and the she-cat was probably his mate or his sister.

"Give up Blackstar, you're getting old, and it's time for a new cat to step into your place," Lionblaze growled threateningly, lunging for the Leader's throat. Blackstar dodged skillfully, and then struck quickly, slashing his claw into Lionblaze's fur, then jumping back. "Nice move, if you didn't just rip out a clump of my fur, however, I can guarantee this'll do some damage." For a moment, Jayfeather thought he went blind again, one moment, Lionblaze was there, then the next, he had driven his long bloody claws into Blackstar's leg.

The Leader yowled in pain, "how did you-?" He ripped himself away, now quickly failing to be able to support his own weight.

"You're finished," Lionblaze said, leaping for the kill, as if he were hunting prey.

"NO!" Russetfur had exploded from her place in the crowd, latching onto Lionblaze's scruff.

"Should've kept quiet you stupid she-cat," in one swift move, Lionblaze had thrown the Deputy onto her back, and then he thrusted his claw into the top of her chest. "Let's see how you like dieing this way!"

"_Oh no, he isn't..._" Jayfeather thought, and before anyone could react, Lionblaze slid his claw all the way down her chest, blood quickly welling up from the gash. The Clan sat in shock, watching as their Deputy's life bled away from her, and before the next breath was taken, she was dead.


	6. Black Rust

Warriors: Fire of Vengeance

Chapter 6: Black Rust

Blackstar watched in horror as his Deputy died, and quickly realized it was exactly the same as Tigerstar. "You've come to get revenge for Tigerstar?" He questioned Lionblaze, who was licking the blood off of his claws.

"No, I just simply thought that it was the most befitting way for both you and your pathetic Deputy to die," the golden cat responded, and then thrusted his claw into Blackstar's chest before he could react. "ShadowClan is mine."

Jayfeather had seen enough, but what could he do, if Blackstar was killed before he could reach him, then it would only be a matter of time before Lionblaze killed him too. In the end, he could only watch as Lionblaze swiped downward, opening a gash in the Leader's chest. He slipped back out of camp, and pelted back to the camp of ThunderClan. "_We have to warn RiverClan before it's too late._"

When he burst into the camp, the Medicine Cat nearly ran straight into his sister, "Jayfeather? Where have you been, and why do you look so horrible?"

"I have to see Firestar, it's urgent," he meowed, brushing past his sister, but Hollyleaf persisted.

"What's wrong?" She questioned.

"Firestar will probably tell everyone soon enough." Hollyleaf stopped, tilting her head in confusion, and Jayfeather climbed his way up to Firestar's den. "Firestar!"

"What? Jayfeather, why are you shouting?" Firestar asked, emerging from the shadows.

"Blackstar and Russetfur are dead!" Jayfeather shouted, and then quickly regretted, "_I should have put more thought into what I was going to say..._"

Firestar was silent for a moment, before fixing Jayfeather in a serious gaze, "what do you mean? How do you know?"

Jayfeather realized only the truth would convince Firestar, "I snuck into their camp, after seeing blood on the border. I think Lionblaze killed someone and went to their camp, to challenge Blackstar." Firestar's eyes flashed with an emotion Jayfeather couldn't quite read, but he didn't say anything, so the Medicine Cat continued. "In the middle of their fight, Russetfur tried to stop Tigerstar...but he thrust his claws into her chest, and opened a gash straight down her stomach. Then he did the same to Blackstar."

It came as a whisper, and Jayfeather was sure he wasn't supposed to hear it. "Just like Tigerstar..." Louder, he meowed, staring into Jayfeather's eyes, now cloudless. Firestar didn't seem to notice, "did they accept him as their new Leader?"

Jayfeather shook his head in confusion, "I don't know, I ran after Blackstar died so I wouldn't get caught."

"This is grave news...I'm going to call a meeting, and I want you to tell the Clan what happened, just as you told me." The gray cat hesitated for a moment, before nodding slowly. He and Firestar padded out onto the Highledge. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

The Leader's call echoed through the camp, drawing confused cats from their dens. Hollyleaf was already sitting in front of the Highledge, "_she must have been waiting,_" Jayfeather realized. Upon seeing the Medicine Cat standing next to Firestar, the cats in the clearing started muttering amongst themselves. "A sign? Will there be an outbreak of Greencough? Are we doomed?"

Jayfeather did his best to ignore it, but his sharp ears betrayed him, and he was able to make out nearly every word. "Everyone!" Firestar began, and all heads snapped up to watch. "Jayfeather has something important all of you need to hear!"

The gray Medicine Cat bowed his head respectfully, and turned to face his Clan. "Um..." he began uncertainly, but as he spoke, his voice hardened, and a grim tone overtook his mew. "I've just come back from the ShadowClan camp. There was blood on the border, so I wanted to investigate. There, I saw something-"

"How can you see anything?" One of the Warriors asked, and Jayfeather calmly turned his gaze to him.

"When my mate, Cinderheart, died, StarClan had given me back the gift of sight." This confused everyone in the gathering.

"Did he just say mate? Can StarClan really do that?" The questions came, and Firestar yowled out, causing them all to fall silent once again.

"I will address that another day," Jayfeather promised, "what I saw at the ShadowClan camp is important. It could affect all four Clans around the lake." At that statement, even the disgruntled mumblings ceased, and it became quiet enough to hear an owl swooping through the forest. "Lionblaze was there, fighting with Blackstar. Russetfur tried to interfere, but she was killed..." Without warning, he whipped around and thrust his paw, sheathed of course, into Firestar's chest. Then he drew it down his stomach, "like this."

The senior Warriors gasped, while the younger Warriors and Apprentices only sat, confused as to why that was relevant. "Lionblaze turned around on Blackstar, and then killed him in the same manner. This may sound crazy, but I believe that Tigerstar has taken over my brother."

"What? Is that even possible?" Surprised caterwauls came from the crowd, and Jayfeather had no idea why he had even said that. Dustpelt stepped forward, "what do you mean taken over, how could such a thing even happen?"

"Cinderpelt," came the simple answer from Jayfeather. "Cinderpelt's spirit had come back in Cinderheart, it was StarClan's way of giving her another chance to become a Warrior. However, Tigerstar never went to StarClan, but he manipulated the darkness in Lionblaze's heart, and now I believe he's going to attempt to take over RiverClan again, and form Tiger-er LionClan."

All of the senior Warriors looked on in shock, they understood what this meant, and the gravity of the situation. The younger Warriors were confused, but they could tell that the other Warriors were taking this seriously.

Firestar stepped into the front again, causing Jayfeather to take a step back. "I need two parties to venture to RiverClan with me, and WindClan…with…" His eyes raked over his Warriors, and then he muttered a curse under his breath. The choice was an obvious one. "Brambleclaw, choose a few Warriors yourself. And don't leave the camp undefended, Lionblaze…Tigerclaw…he could be trying to scatter us."

Brambleclaw nodded and pulled a couple of Warriors, and they padded out.

"Jayfeather, you and Hollyleaf are with me." Firestar and Jayfeather scrambled down the Highledge, and the gray Medicine Cat walked over to his sister.

"Holly?"

Her eyes seemed unfocused, confused, but her brother's voice seemed to snap her out of it for a moment, "huh? Oh, Jayfeather…what's going on…why is this happening…?"

He wanted to comfort his distraught sister, but the words couldn't come. Firestar stalked in from behind him and rested his tail on her shoulder. "Whatever the reason is, we must stop history from repeating itself. Will you come with me and Jayfeather to RiverClan?"

She looked away for a moment, to contemplate her choice, before nodding. "Of course, I have to try and bring Lionblaze back to his senses."

_Can he be?_ Jayfeather wondered, but he didn't have time to dwell on the thought, because Firestar was making his way out of camp, and the siblings followed their Leader out into the darkening forest.


	7. Fork in the River

**Warriors: ****Fire of Vengeance**

Small warning, I'm playing with timelines a little bit in this chapter. You'll see.

**Chapter 7: ****Fork In the River**

"Stop." The two Warriors stopped short behind their Leader. "They marked their territory recently. Lionblaze must have put a lot of Warriors on patrol."

"He doesn't want us to interfere…" Jayfeather reasoned, and Firestar nodded.

"We'll have to be careful, just the three of us can't hope to tackle a patrol, and they would call for more help. And if Lionblaze is indeed in charge now, they'll most likely kill us." Hollyleaf swallowed at his words, and started shaking a little. Firestar placed his strong head over hers, "we'll be fine, we just need to be careful. Jayfeather, your ears will be a great help, listen for any ShadowClan Warriors."

The Medicine Cat nodded, and took the lead of the small band of cats, treading carefully through hostile territory. They hadn't gotten more than a tail-length into the territory before Jayfeather held up his tail and then ducked behind a tree, signaling Firestar and Hollyleaf to do the same. Just after they felt they were safe from any wandering patrols, one stalked up to where they were. _Five Warriors, we wouldn't stand a chance…_ Jayfeather thought, trying to hold his breath to stay as quiet as possible.

One of the Warriors turned to his companions, "why're we doing this anyway? No one would be stupid enough to just waltz into our territory, especially not with Lionstar there!"

An older warrior heaved a great sigh, "you shouldn't be so overconfident, ThunderClan has been known to do desperate and completely mouse-brained things." Only Jayfeather was able to hear him mutter, "besides, I wonder about this Lion_star_."

The Warriors looked around the area before moving on to another part, and Jayfeather made sure he heard all five of their voices fade before he signaled for his Leader and sister to continue. They didn't run into any other ShadowClan Warriors on the trek, though they could smell the patrol that passed earlier the whole way, which could have explained why. "They wouldn't send two Warrior patrols along the same route, it doesn't make very much sense." Firestar explained when Hollyleaf asked.

When they stepped out of the forest into RiverClan territory, Jayfeather could literally feel the relief coming from his sister, but he took it upon himself to give her the bad news. "Hollyleaf, don't forget, Lionblaze could have already gone this way, we still have to be careful."

"But at least it won't be as bad if we run into a patrol," Firestar reasoned, and just as the words left his mouth, they heard caterwauling, and three cats, stinking of fish, ran up to them.

"Shadow-wait, ThunderClan? And Firestar?" The small female Warrior shouted, "what's going on?"

"Easy Riverpaw," an older Warrior stated. "But I'm as curious as my Apprentice, what are you doing here Firestar?"

"I must see Leapordstar immediately." Firestar stated, and the two Warriors of the group looked at each other before the older one padded off, his Apprentice and fellow Warrior behind.

"We'll take you to the Leader. Follow us." The ThunderClan cats stalked after them, until they arrived in the camp, and noticed that Leopardstar was lying in the middle of the camp, surrounded by her Warriors.

"No, he couldn't have gotten here too…" Jayfeather whirled around, looking for any sign of his brother, but Lionblaze was nowhere to be found.

"He? I think you misunderstood something," A female Warrior, known as Mistyfoot, and Leapordstar's Deputy, padded up, bowing her head in respect to Firestar and Jayfeather. "Leapordstar died this morning from sickness and old age…to what do we owe this visit Firestar?"

Firestar nodded and bowed his head in turn, "I'm sorry for your loss, Leapordstar was a great Leader in her time…" There was a pause, which Jayfeather couldn't discern the reason for. "However, I have some grave news. We need to speak with you privately Mistyfoot."

Mistyfoot hesitated, and then turned, "this way." The cats were led into the Leader's Den, which did smell from a tinge of sickness, Jayfeather observed. "What's happened?"

Firestar motioned for Jayfeather to step forward, and the Medicine took a deep breath before doing so. "I'm not sure if you know my brother…Lionblaze…he's betrayed ThunderClan by…by…" He swallowed and had to choke out the final words, "by killing Cinderheart…"

"O-Oh my, I'm terribly sorry to hear that." Mistyfoot mewed, but was cut off.

"We exiled him…but it didn't feel right…so I followed him…into ShadowClan…he killed someone in the patrol that found him, and then murdered Blackstar and Russetfur. I think he's trying to recreate TigerClan…" Jayfeather took a breath and stepped back, still keeping his ears strained for any sounds of commotion coming from the entrance.

"T-TigerClan? A-Are you absolutely sure?" Jayfeather nodded, "that was a dark time for our Clan…for all the Clans…" She shivered, and Firestar touched her shoulder with the tip of his tail.

"You have to be strong for you Clan now. Keep an eye out for him, and if he makes a move, send for us immediately. Lionblaze could be stronger than Tigerclaw was."

"Yes…thank you Firestar…we'll be sure to let you know…and WindClan as well…we can't have a repeat of the past." Mistyfoot layed on her stomach, a thoughtful look on her face, and Firestar stepped out, with Hollyleaf and Jayfeather just behind.

_I wonder what that was about._ Jayfeather thought, but he didn't have much time to dwell on that, before a blood soaked Squirrelflight tore into the camp.

"Lionblaze and ShadowClan! They're attacking!"


	8. Lion, Jay, and Leaves

**Warriors: ****Fire of Vengeance**

**Chapter 8: ****Lion, Jay, and Leaves**

Squirrelflight was the first to dash back into the once peaceful camp, now overrun with ShadowClan Warriors. "BRAMBLECLAW!" The she-cat ran for her former mate, who was pinned down by Lionblaze underneath the Highledge.

"Mother." Lionblaze hissed, his eyes narrowed to thin slits, "or, I guess not. No, I'm just some disgusting half-breed, aren't I?!" He lashed his tail, "but then, I'd feel remorse if this pathetic excuse for a Deputy really was my father."

"NOOO!" Squirrelflight leapt at Lionblaze, but before she could reach him, a ShadowClan Warrior collided with her in the air, and slammed a paw into her throat to keep her down.

"Good job you, I'll remember your loyalty. Name?" Lionblaze asked, giving the Warrior a smile dripping with evil.

"Raveneye." The jet black tom responded, blinking his sinister yellow eyes.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Brambleclaw spat, struggling under Lionblaze's weight, but he didn't budge.

"I'm not that weak little kit you were able to push around before, Brambleclaw. And it's time you and this…this…wench paid for your crimes." Lionblaze pressed a claw against the ThunderClan Deputy's throat, but stopped short when he heard a sickeningly familiar voice.

"Let him go brother, Brambleclaw had nothing to do with it." Jayfeather stepped into his field of vision, even amidst the chaos, and his voice was calm and confident. That angered Lionblaze.

"Jayfeather, what do you think you're trying to do? Offering yourself to save this pathetic cat's life?" The self-appointed Leader of ShadowClan glared at his brother, pressing his claw deeper into Brambleclaw's throat until a trickle of blood started running down his fur.

"No, on the contrary. We're here to end this madness."

"We?" The question had barely left Lionblaze's muzzle before Hollyleaf jumped him from behind, biting as hard as she could into his ear and tearing it, jumping off before Lionblaze could counter. "Hollyleaf, I should have known." Lionblaze stumbled back, closing his eye to keep the blood that was pouring out his ear from blinding him.

Jayfeather took the chance to ram into his brother's chest with his shoulder, charging as hard and fast as he could. However, Lionblaze didn't move, his muscles being too much of an obstacle for the much smaller Medicine Cat. "Ha! Is that all you have?!" The dark Warrior easily swatted Jayfeather away, and advanced on Hollyleaf. "Now it's your turn dear sister. And you won't be getting off easily, not after what you just did to my ear."

Hollyleaf hissed, keeping her ears flat against her head, but her muscles tensed up from the fear. She saw Lionblaze take down Brambleclaw without a scratch on him, what chance did she have? Even with his eye closed, Lionblaze could turn her into crowfood in an instant.

"Holly, get out of there!" Jayfeather's voice snapped her back into reality, with her very large brother staring down into her eyes with a claw raised. She only just managed to dodge the crushing blow with a quick jump to his side, and she jumped onto his back once again, this time aiming for his other ear or eye with her teeth.

Lionblaze was ready for it this time, and rolled onto his back. Hollyleaf gasped for breath as she could feel the air being crushed out of her chest. "NO!" Brambleclaw leapt from the spot he was laying, to spring onto Lionblaze's belly and claw it open. But Lionblaze was ready for this as well, and simply brought his hindpaws close to his stomach before ramming them hard into the Deputy's own chest and stomach, and flinging him across the field.

"Any last words before you die from the pressure on your ribs?" Lionblaze asked, smiling once again, and didn't expect any other response except for the hoarse gasp that came out of his sister. He assumed it was some kind of last pledge of vengeance or some such nonsense. That didn't matter now anyway. He won. There was no cat, dog, or even twoleg that could stop him now, all he had to do was kill the rest of the Leaders and his victory would be assured. This line of thinking made him forget one important factor, the mottled gray tabby, aided with extra strength from his dead mate, running for him and aiming a bite for his foreleg.

Before Lionblaze could react, he could feel teeth sinking deeply into his right leg, and then deeper until an audible crack could be heard across the clearing, causing the fighting to pause. It was like a dream, everything ran in slow motion. Lionblaze rolled off Hollyleaf, spitting curses at Jayfeather and yowling from the pain in his broken and bleeding leg. Jayfeather stood his ground, and locked into a stare with Lionblaze. Then Leafpool jumped on from behind, and stabbed her claws into both of his eyes.

He yowled and reached back, grabbing her and slammed her into the ground. "MOTHER!" Jayfeather screamed, and rushed for her, but no one was fast enough to stop Lionblaze.

"Jayfeather, stay strong, Hollyleaf and the Clan will need you, I-"

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT SAYING IT!" Lionblaze screamed with pure fury and hatred, and clamped his jaws blindly into her face, and pulled, snapping her neck, and nearly tearing off her head. "It doesn't matter! None of you will live after today! If Jayfeather can fight blind, then so can I!" He yowled, spitting out his dead mother's head from his jaws and whirled around wildly, as if daring any cat from getting too close.

"No, you can't, your vision is as dark as your heart now." Jayfeather stated. Lionblaze couldn't believe it, his brother was less than a mousetail away, judging from his voice, but it seemed to ring out all around him. For the first time, the large cat felt…afraid. He would die to this miserable, scrawny excuse of a cat, blinded by his mother, and as revenge for killing his so-called mate.

"NO! I REFUSE TO DIE LIKE THI-GHHKKHHhhh…" He hadn't even realized that Hollyleaf was standing at his other side, and both her and Jayfeather's claws were in his throat.

It was a pathetic sight, all of his power, to die at the paws of his two siblings, it's all he could think about as he lay on the dirt, squirming and twitching, feeling the blood rush from his ear, eyes, and throat, and being carried away to where Tigerclaw was surely waiting. _I'll get you, I'll get all of you…damnit…_ The final thought, along with a last gurgling breath, and he was dead.

Everyone in the clearing, save for Jayfeather and Hollyleaf, could only look on stunned. ShadowClan slipped out in the confusion, leaving only RiverClan, ThunderClan, and WindClan, who had joined the battle somewhere in the middle. Jayfeather shook his head, _actually, maybe they were here when we got here._ He honestly could not remember.

Firestar dismissed the other Clans, thanking them for their assistance. Jayfeather noticed that Crowfeather lingered for only a moment longer than the rest of his Clanmates, an expression of pain flashing across his face when his eyes rested on Leafpool, and then turned, and left. "Everyone…gather the dead in the center…and Jayfeather look after their…wounds…" Firestar winced, coughing up blood, and Jayfeather had only just noticed the Leader's own wounds. "Don't worry about me, I still have a life left. Get to everyone else and then check on me." He ordered as clearly as he could, and sat beneath the Highledge.

"BRAMBLECLAW, NO, HANG ON!" Squirrelflight's distressed voice broke up the somber silence, and Jayfeather ran to her side along with his sister. She looked to her foster kits and then back down to her mate. He was wheezing, bleeding heavily from the final blow that Lionblaze had delivered. Jayfeather attempted to dress the wound, to keep Brambleclaw alive, but inside, he knew it was useless.

The Deputy was able to breathe one last thing, "Squirrelflight…I…I'm sorry about…" A breath. "About how I treated you…I do still love you…"

"Bramble…claw…" Squirrelflight buried her face into his chest fur, "no, don't leave me, not after saying that…please…"

"Ngh…I'm sorry…and Hollyleaf…Jayfeather…thank you both…you saved the clan…just like we did so long ago…Holly…I want you to be the next…Deputy…be strong…and take care of each other…" Brambleclaw gave a final desperate gasp, to say a few more words, but it was no use, his eyes glazed over, and his head fell to the ground.

"BRAMBLECLAW!"

They finished burying everyone that night, but Jayfeather could still feel his mother and adopted father's spirit watching over them. As Firestar was carrying out Brambleclaw's final wish, the Medicine Cat looked up to the stars. _Thank you Cinderheart…it was thanks to your help that I beat him…_ He swore he could hear the familiar giggle, and felt someone pressing against him, and before he knew it, he fell into a dream, to talk at great length with his mate.

Pop the champagne bottles or whatever it is you do, because this Trilogy is officially done! Yay! Haahh, writing that was tough work, lemme tell ya, especially since I haven't read Warriors in moons. Er, months. Anyway, lemme know what you think, but I don't think I'll be continuing this anytime soon, because I've honestly lost interest with writing Warriors anymore. Don't get me wrong, I'll still write Frosted Leaves to its conclusion, but after that, I've had other stories rattling around in my head for quite a while now. Well, thank you everyone for your support and comments, and I'll catch you on the flipside! Later!


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